Talk You Down  An Easter Story
by silver-doe287
Summary: In honor of Easter, Merlin comes up with ideas for gifts for all of his friends, especially the one he loves. Post season 3, and Merlin/Morgana.
1. A Surprise

**Happy Easter, everybody! In honor of the occasion (and because this story idea wouldn't stop poking me while I was trying to work) I've written a short story for you guys! It's not as good as cookies, but if you're Merlin/Morgana shippers, your heaven has just arrived. (Just so you know, if I have to AU ship it will be Merlin/Morgana. They just belong together. ^_^)**

**With no further ado, I present the beginning of my story. Enjoy, and make sure to review!**

**A Surprise**

It was a quiet, rainy morning in Camelot. The town seemed quiet as people hid in their houses, and those who couldn't get out of their daily chores were running in the rain, trying to take shelter in the nearest places they could.

Merlin was deep in concentration. He had just returned from the market, which meant he was soaked and shivering. But this didn't matter to him, as he stared intently at the round, white object in front of him. Slowly he reached his hand towards the small stick that sat, smoking in front of a stack of sticks just like it. He picked up the stick and brought it closer to the egg in his other hand, and just as he made contact –

"What the hell are you doing, Merlin?"

Merlin jumped, surprised, and a huge, black line of ash was drawn onto the egg. The stick snapped in two and Merlin looked around to see Arthur standing there, dripping wet and looking angry.

"Well?" Arthur asked in an angry tone, and Merlin hastily turned back to his project, taking off his jacket and trying to cover it. This caught the prince's curiosity and he came over, crossing his arms and trying to see under the jacket.

"I'm working on a project," Merlin answered in a careful voice. "It's a surprise."

"Whatever for?" Arthur asked in an exasperated voice. He looked expectantly at Merlin.

"For Easter!" Merlin defended, looking down at the bulk of eggs and sticks under his jacket. "I was going to make something for you, Gwen, and…Gaius."

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"At least get your chores done by tomorrow, Merlin," he said, stomping out the door and making sure to drip water everywhere before he left.

Merlin sighed, uncovering his project and looking at the egg that now seemed ruined. Looking to make sure that Arthur was gone, he quickly pushed an open palm towards the egg and whispered a spell. The next moment the line was gone and the stick had fixed itself.

He picked up the stick again, whispering "_forbearnan medmicel_" and the stick began smoking again. He carefully held the egg in one hand and began to draw with the other.

**What could Merlin's master plan be? Next chapter let's introduce the lovely lady Morgana!**

**Just in case you aren't a diehard and have no idea of some spell stuff:**

**forbearnan – "to burn," has been used countless times by Merlin**

**medmice – "small," although this translation is rough because it is mostly used in an adjective situation, so I have no idea if "to burn small" would have been said in such context.**


	2. Easter Plans

**Here's chapter 2, everybody! The entire story will only be about 5 shorter chapters, so you'll be able to read it in time for the actual holiday. :) Happy Easter!**

**Easter Plans**

Two days later dawned a bright, sunny morning that felt special, in some way. And as Merlin woke up much earlier than usual, when the light was just beginning to show above the horizon, he sat up and smiled.

Today was Easter. Today everything would be put right.

He got up quietly, so as not to wake Gaius, and dressed before taking two of the eggs that he had beautifully decorated and walking out of his room and out of Gaius's chambers to begin his task.

About an hour later, it was time to wake Arthur up, and Merlin made his usual detour to the kitchens to grab breakfast for his master.

"Happy Easter!" he said cheerfully to all the cooks, who smiled at his buoyant behavior. Merlin made sure that extra ham was on the tray just for the special occasion before leaving the kitchens and almost skipping up the stairs to Arthur's chambers. He walked in quietly, set the plate on his table, and opened the shades.

"Good morning!" Merlin chimed, beaming at the prince, who woke with a groan and looked grumpy.

"What are you so happy about, Merlin?" Arthur grumbled, still sounding half asleep. Merlin's smile grew.

"Well first of all, I snuck you extra ham this morning, and second, the sun is shining, and third – it's Easter!" he said, feeling so content. Arthur shook his head to clear his thoughts from sleep and looked over at the food.

"Wow, you should be in this good of a mood every day," he said as he reached over and grabbed a piece of ham. "Then you'd bring me this much food every morning."

Merlin just beamed.

"I've also finished your surprise," he said in a happy voice. "I've hid it in a place you go to frequently, so if you don't find it, somebody else will most likely."

"What surprise?" Arthur asked, and then remembered a couple days before. "Oh, that project. What is it exactly?"

"I can't tell you, it's a surprise!" Merlin teased, before rushing out of the room. He just dodged the half-eaten piece of ham that was intended to smack him in the face.

Merlin visited Gwen next. She was helping her brother in the blacksmith's shop these days, which she didn't really like but she didn't have another job at the moment, due to Morgana's choice of loyalty.

As he walked inside the blacksmith's shop there was a hiss and Merlin watched as Elyan dipped a piece of red-hot metal into a pool of water.

"Happy Easter, Elyan!" Merlin greeted. "Have you seen Gwen?"

"I'm right behind you," Gwen said with a smile and Merlin turned around to return it with a smile of his own.

"Hi, Gwen!" he said. "I've got a surprise for you!"

Gwen raised her eyebrows and smiled, looking very pretty.

"What is it?" she asked. "Where is it?"

"It's hiding somewhere that you go to," he said in a mock-serious tone. "I can't tell you what it is, but when you find it, you'll know that it's yours."

Gwen looked baffled, but Merlin just said good day and cheerfully walked outside, feeling very satisfied with his work so far. Then he thought about the last decorated egg sitting in his bedroom and he lost his smile slightly. Time for the final part of his plans for the day.

He entered the bustling market, returning smiles and calls of "Happy Easter!" with his own greetings. Making his way to the food, Merlin bought a fresh loaf of bread and some slices of ham, and then made his way back to Gaius's chambers with his purchases.

Thankfully Gaius wasn't home when Merlin snuck in, so he ran up to his bedroom and grabbed a clean, freshly laundered sheet and set his items inside. Tying the ends of the sheets together, he created a bag and after making sure that nothing would fall out, he reached over to pick up the delicate, decorated egg in one palm.

With all of his possessions, Merlin left Gaius's chambers, walking towards the bridge over the moat and out of the city. He saw fewer and fewer people as he walked.

It took Merlin two hours to reach his destination, and by that time, the sun was already over halfway through it's circulation in the sky. Merlin stopped on a ridge, staring.

The forest of Ascetir. It was the only place that made sense to him where she would be hiding. He slowly began his descent into the wood, and then kept walking. He knew that she would make herself known when she wanted to.

Merlin reached a clearing and stopped as a figure emerged from the shadows on the other side. It was her.

"Morgana," he breathed.


	3. Memories

**This chapter is Arthur and Gwen discovering their surprises. :) Hope you like it!**

**Memories**

It was on the training grounds that Arthur stumbled across his surprise. He had just finished a long training with his knights, and was heading back to the bench to grab some water.

There was a bunch of knights crowded around the bucket, like usual, but none of them were drinking. Narrowing his eyebrows in suspicion, Arthur strode over. They looked up to see him and parted ways so he could reach the bucket.

"What are you doing?" he asked them.

"Look, sire," Sir Leon pointed into the bucket. "It has your name on it."

Arthur looked at him in surprise, but then bent down to look into the bucket. He saw something white inside, and reached a hand in to pull out a delicate egg.

The egg was decorated with a black ash that depicted battles that looked all too familiar to him. There was the griffin, and the questing beast, and the worst of them all, Kilgarrah. Arthur stared at the craftsmanship in shock, and then remembered whose gift this was.

He looked up to his knights, and passed around the egg for them all to see.

"Who is it from, sire?" Leon asked. Arthur let a wry smile pass his face.

"Merlin," he said, shaking his head. That manservant.

Gwen had gotten all of her chores done, and she needed a break from the hot fires of her brother's blacksmith shop. As soon as she stepped outside, the cool wind calmed her flaming skin, and she started out to the place she always went once a day, which not even Arthur knew yet.

Up through the citadel, up the main stairs, and then down the hallway before stepping up the more secluded set of stairs. Gwen knew this path very well, she used to take it maybe four times a day to see to her mistress.

Upon opening the door, Gwen looked at the very neat room and sighed, missing the Morgana who had been her best friend. She walked in and shut the door behind her before somebody could catch her in here. She walked over to the main part of the room, and then saw something.

Walking over to the bed in surprise, Gwen picked up the small white egg, and then stared at it. The egg had beautiful flowers and designs on it; elegant script that was slanted and familiar, along with ribbons that encircled the entire object.

It was beautiful, and it brought tears to Gwen's eyes.

"Merlin," she said with a smile through the tears, and then sat down to examine her beautiful gift.


	4. Lunch With the Enemy

**Merlin is now with Morgana, so let's find out why he's there! (Morgana/Merlin shippers, now's your moment to beam!)**

**Lunch With the Enemy**

Morgana said nothing, and gave no emotion away of what she thought about his being there. Merlin saw that her clothes were more forest-friendly now, and she looked dirty and unkempt compared to how she used to look at Camelot.

It didn't matter. She was beautiful to him, and she always would be.

In a moment she was standing next to him, had him backed up against a tree with a sword to his neck.

"Why shouldn't I run you through right now, traitor?" she said in a dangerous voice, her tone level and displaying no second thoughts. Merlin looked at the knife, and then remembered the egg in his hand. Silently and with pleading eyes, he slowly lifted up his hand and opened his fingers to the palm and egg underneath. Morgana looked from his face to the egg, and she said nothing, looking momentarily surprised.

The egg had the traditional white background, but now looked stunning with small flowers and ribbons, with chains of circles cresting around the top and a small, dark heart on one side. In total, the egg was magnificent, and that's why Merlin had started work on it two days before.

"What is this?" Morgana asked, her voice betraying her mistrust of him.

"It's a gift, for you," Merlin said quickly, holding it out farther. "It's for Easter."

Morgana looked from the egg back to Merlin, and he could tell that she clearly thought he was insane. Merlin smiled weakly, holding out his other hand, which still had the sheet, bread and ham in it.

"I brought lunch," he said with a timid smile, looking pointedly at the sword at his throat. Morgan almost rolled her eyes, slowly but cautiously returning the sword to its hilt.

"What do you want, Merlin?" she asked in an angry voice, turning around and stalking back to the middle of the sun-filled clearing. Her dark hair framed her beautiful face, which had a bit of a tan from her extended sun exposure. She didn't seem bothered by her looks, however. Merlin stared at her.

"Merlin?" she snapped, bringing him back to life.

"Sorry, I, uh—I didn't want you to be alone for Easter," he said lamely, smiling and shrugging. He knew he was making everything worse.

Morgana sighed exasperatedly, much like her half brother had done a few days ago.

"Merlin, we're sworn enemies. Why in the world would you be concerned about my plans for Easter?" she asked in a mistrusting voice. "If you've brought Arthur along—"

"No, it's just me!" he said quickly, feeling a blush creep up his neck, cheeks, and then his large ears. "I just, well…I don't know."

Not knowing what else to do, he walked into the clearing with his food and the egg still in his hands. Then he set the food down in the exact center of the clearing, before walking up to Morgana and handing her the egg.

"Really, it's for you," he told her earnestly. "I made one for Arthur and Gwen, as well. All of my…friends."

She looked at the egg for a very long moment, and then slowly took it out of his hand, being careful not to touch him in the process. Merlin waited for a thanks, but when she didn't say anything he decided to turn around and begin preparing lunch.

Merlin felt her eyes watching his every move as he smoothed out the sheet and set out two plates he had also brought for the occasion. After setting out the slices of ham on both plates, he looked at the bread and frowned. That's what he forgot.

"Here," Morgana said quietly, offering a knife to Merlin. She didn't meet his eyes, but he accepted the knife gratefully, slicing two pieces of bread for both of them. Then he stood up to meet her eyes.

Morgana looked up from where she stood, arms crossed as she had been examining her feet, and she walked over in front of him. Merlin held out a hand and helped her sit down. Then he sat down and waited for her to begin to eat, out of politeness. She was still nobility, after all.

Morgana looked at him instead of eating.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him in a voice that sounded like it was on the verge of breaking into tears. Merlin looked down at his Easter meal and said nothing.

"I just didn't want you to be lonely," he repeated, still casting his glance downward.

"I don't believe that for a moment," Morgana said. "Stop lying and tell me."

Merlin took a deep breath. Could he tell the truth?

"I came because I—I—" he faltered, taking another deep breath to stop his shaking voice. Feeling a new confidence begin to flow through him, he looked up and met her calculating hazel eyes. And he spoke the words.

"I love you."

**Aww…..don't you guys just love Merlin? Morgana's reaction next chapter!**


	5. Coming To Terms

**The final chapter is here! New, confident Merlin is so beautiful…. ^_^ I hope you guys enjoyed this story, even though I didn't offer burnt or bad cookies once, and I still don't have robin's egg whoppers. Well apparently the parents have some of the latter, they're on their way home from the grocery story. *rolls eyes* a family affair!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Coming to Terms**

The shock within the moment hit as a wave over both of them in one, sharp movement. Merlin was surprised that he had even bothered to say the words out loud, and now that he saw Morgana's reaction, he began to feel angry towards himself.

"Merlin!" was all that she could get out, in a voice that was beyond shocked. "Merlin, we're—we're enemies—"

"I don't care," Merlin said in a voice that sounded like a pouting child. "I love you, Morgana, and I don't care which side you're on."

"But—you tried to poison me!" she exclaimed, looking at him with eyebrows raised and her mouth forming a small 'o' of surprise. Merlin remembered that day and tears filled his eyes.

"I had to," he whispered. "It was the only way of stopping the spell keeping Camelot asleep, and if I hadn't, Camelot would have fallen. I—I had to," he faltered at the end, looking down at his food. It didn't look so appetizing anymore.

Morgana said nothing for a couple moments.

"You should go," she said in a quiet voice finally, and Merlin looked up at her, suddenly pleading.

"Don't send me away, please," he begged. His eyes were wide as they met hers. Morgana looked at him and then, without a word, grabbed the sandwich and began to eat with small bites. Grateful, Merlin did the same.

When the food was gone, Morgana stood up and turned her back to him.

"I could never love you, Merlin," she said in a subdued voice. "You have made your loyalties clear, and so have I. We're not on the same side, so this would never work out."

Merlin stood up too, wordlessly sending his magic to clean up their mess, and listened.

"Furthermore, if we were to become lovers, it would be against the rules, because I am of nobility and you're just…Arthur's servant—" she said this with a hint of incredulity. "And…and—this is just ridiculous, Merlin," she finished lamely, turning around.

Merlin realized his mistake a beat too late.

"What are you doing?" Morgana suddenly shrieked, looking behind him to see their lunch plates being stacked and folded between the sheets. Her eyes grew wide as saucers, and she looked back at Merlin. Deciding to use this to his advantage, Merlin just shrugged.

"I have magic, Morgana," he said. "I always have, so I understand completely how you feel."

Morgana was mouthing wordlessly, shocked beyond belief. Merlin decided that it was now or never, so he took her arm and pulled her close, before placing a kiss on her lips.

Her lips were warm and soft, despite the coldness she had been taking towards the world. Merlin felt a heat warm his body as he kissed the woman he loved, feeling that for just this moment, the world was right again.

When they broke it off, Morgana's eyes were still wide, but now she seemed surprised at herself. Merlin smiled sadly at her.

"I have to be returning to Camelot," he said softly, letting a small smile play on his lips. He felt their kiss linger, and he breathed deeply before kissing her lips, briefly, one more time.

"I love you, Morgana," he whispered, before picking up the bag that was now packed, and setting out without a glance back towards his home, leaving his heart behind.

**Thanks again for reading, everybody. I hope you liked it! :)**


End file.
